The present invention relates to apparatus permitting the swift and safe loading of small aircraft and in particular to a walkway for the protective movement of passengers to and from commuter aircraft.
Examples of gangways for large aircraft are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,683,440; 4,559,660 and 4,984,321. The conventional gangway is essentially a movable articulating steel enclosed corridor or bridge which when docked to an airplane provides a safe pathway for passenger traffic to and from the terminal. These jet bridges, as they are known, were designed and intended for use only with large jet engine type aircraft (i.e. Boeing 727, 737, 757, 767, 747) with door sill height ranging between 6' to 16' above ground. Such jet bridges cannot be used for commuter type aircraft which are only a fraction of the height of the jet airplanes and have a door sill well below 6 feet. Further, the smaller commuter aircraft are loaded at ground level and are provided with their own stairway. At present there is no bridge or pathway apparatus which can dock with a commuter aircraft on ground level having the capability of extending and retracting while simultaneously swinging left and right, so as to meet the aircraft where parked.
Presently, some users have constructed short permanent type awning walkways which protect passengers only part of the way to the aircraft. Due to the nature of commuter aircraft operation, no permanent fixed structure can be constructed so as to extend all the way out from the terminal to the parking position because it will interfere with and prohibit the aircraft from parking or eventually turn out under its own power for departure. Therefore, commuter airline passengers have always had to walk to the aircraft in an uncontrolled dangerous environment across the aircraft apron or airport tarmac. This exposure places the passengers in an endless amount of danger, chaos, inclement weather and inconvenience.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus overcoming the disadvantages inherent in present commuter aircraft loading and to provide a safe and protective walkway for the passengers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a passenger walkway for "zero" height application and at the same time be capable of extending, retracting and radiusing left and right.
It is a further object of the present invention to make the apparatus totally self-contained and mobile so as to be utilized at any gate location of the user's terminal facilities throughout the entire terminal network, in other words, completely independent from any permanent facility.
It is a particular object of the present invention to form the passageway of generic interchangeable sections so the user can readily accommodate the ongoing changing criteria of aircraft operations without costly engineering expense.
These objects and others together with their advantages and uses will be apparent from the following description of the present invention.